Transformers Can Die
If you see someone die on Transformers Prime, don't look for a miracle resurrection. As Kline explained, "In our minds, when we kill a character, we kill a character. I can assure you, Cliffjumper is dead. We wanted to very clearly [show that] in the miniseries - unlike I think some other iterations maybe of Transformers or in animation in general, we made sure you knew he wasn't just dead, he was dead dead dead dead. 'We cut him into pieces' dead."

Would really like them to do the flashback thing and develop Cliff's character a bit more. He seemed like the really cool Autobot, laid back but still tough. I wonder if they'll do the preview sorta thing week to week on IGN.

And I think when you go on the fan sites and just talk to people about the show... To have a young kid, like a six year old boy and you go hey, 'Do you like Transformers?' 'Yeah, Arcee was awesome!' That's actually the really cool thing, is the cross fandom.

They're sure getting plenty of publicity out about the Prime series. I think the Hub's aiming for a high number of viewers.

I really like how they're acknowledging the female roles in this series and making them more than just 'the girl' characters for female viewers. And I was a little surprised that they directly addressed some of the fan interpretations about a possible Jack & Arcee romance in this article. Seems that the show producers are really opening dialogue with the fans. I'm glad they've made a clear stance on that issue. I can't help but suspect that it's only because Arcee is female that some people automatically perceive her relationship with Jack in romatic terms. We're not really used to seeing many female and male pair-ups that are platonic in nature. It's refreshing seeing Arcee & Jack's uncommon older female mentor/big sister-young male student/younger brother relationship.

On the other hand, I guess there hasn't been many comments about a Bulkhead/Miko romance. So maybe there was something about Arcee and Jack that made some people suspect more than just friendship. But let's not get into that.

Also, i'm looking forward to seeing how the future exploration of Optimus' and Megatron's rivalry develops. More than any previous TFs fiction, Optimus and Megatron have been closely tied together in this series through an implied past alliance. It adds a more personal nature to their conflict.

Well even if the Japanese animators would love to draw it I'm not sure the idea of a pre-teen girl having a romance with an ancient robot would go over well on US TV. At least Jack has a driver's license.

I do wonder what they mean about a mentor figure, regarding Jack and Arcee. In what way can Arcee mentor Jack? Out of all the three humans in the series, Jack seems to be the most responsible. He thinks of his human family, namely his mom. He is industrious, hence he works to get what he wants. And he even takes the time to watch over the two kids younger than him, making him quite responsible. What other great epiphany can he gain through his interactions with not only Arcee but all the autobots?

What can Arcee actually teach Jack? I'm not sure he's that concerned with Cybertron culture and I do wonder whether Arcee would be that interested in earth culture if given the choice. And I doubt Arcee can teach him any cyber ninja moves since he's not cybernetic.

He doesn't have any special abilities that are useful in battle, the only thing that was of help to him in the mini was that he was older than Raff. In a way, out of the three humans he is the most average. So what can he learn from not only Arcee, but the rest of the autobots? Can they turn him into a super genius or give him a crash course in space bridge technology?

In the end, the best montor for Jack would probably not be an autobot but another human. Someone who knows what it feels like to be human and who knows what it feels like to be average. Someone who could teach him to not only be average but to at least try to excel. I don't think Arcee can do that, she's a superpowered fighting machine. I don't think the other autobots can do that either.

If its mentoring, I think the best choice would be agent Fowler. At least he can give Jack training and connections. Something that I doubt the autobots could give.

In my opinion, if this is the way the setting is then Jack would probably become a stagnant character. At least Miko can change, mellow out and become more thoughtful with her actions. Raff can reveal more of why he's this supergenius and master his gifts. What changes can Jack go through to make him into an interesting character? And can the current setting actually do that? If not, then we've just got a stagnant character who cheers the autobots into battle. Not much of a character.

Nice to see such a thoughtful post. I reckon Arcee could teach Jack how to defend himself, as Transformers and humans both have to punch, kick and counter attackers. Jack is bullied at KO Burger and probably at school, and it's not like his motorcycle can fight his battles. Simultaneously he'd have to balance himself, because one shouldn't confuse being violent with being strong.

But I think Jack already respects his mom a lot. He wanted to call her in the autobot base, didn't want to wake her up in the morning and he had a heart to heart with her in the garage. I think that's respect.

As for Arcee, she's a tall, machine with power. I think she has all the respect she needs. She is one of the finest warriors in Optimus' crew and I doubt Jack treats her any less.

Besides, from what I can tell from their first bickering I think Arcee snapped at Jack for him trying to console her on the issue of loss. So I don't think Jack was in the wrong.

Nice to see such a thoughtful post. I reckon Arcee could teach Jack how to defend himself, as Transformers and humans both have to punch, kick and counter attackers. Jack is bullied at KO Burger and probably at school, and it's not like his motorcycle can fight his battles. Simultaneously he'd have to balance himself, because one shouldn't confuse being violent with being strong.

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Hmm... that is a good point. The training thing was done in Transformers animated, but was mostly ineffective any way until Sari gained powers. As for the bullying I didn't notice it that much. And even if it did occur in the mini series I guess it still hasn't been expanded on that much yet. And unless its expanded on, its not really something that can be used to help in Jack's progression in the story. Overcoming bullying is a good theme though. But I have to ask? Can the series go that dark? And also how often can it be used, since it can't be used season after season? And would cyber ninja moves be humanly applicable for Jack and how would it resolve his problem?

It worked for karate kid, but I doubt it would work through out the season.

I'd like to think that Arcee and Jack's partnership could be a mutaully beneficial one. They were both intially reluctant to be involved with one another, but now that they are, they're learning to bridge the gap between their worlds. They're learning to recognise and share similar emotions and vulnerabilities in one another. The ironic thing in their friendship is that though Arcee would seem to be in the older mentor position, being more mature and stronger, she has things to gain from interating with Jack: learning more about Earth and human life and crucially helping herself to move on past the loss of a close comrade (Cliffjumper) through her new partnership with Jack. And undoubtedly, Jack's formerly mundane life has just been majorly changed by his meeting the Autobots. Now a much larger world has been opened up to him, and Arcee is his guide to it.

The producers of Transformers Prime are well aware how some adult fans feel about human characters. Recalled Orci, "From some quarter of the fandom, the idea that the live-action movies had humans at all was slightly something to consider and I think that one of the other benefits of the animated series is we can come up with exactly the balance that we want. Because you do want a human presence, no matter what you say – even the original had that. You have to have someone to hide from and bringing you into that secret is a great way to do it. But now, we can do it as much as we want." Kline said he felt the humans, "represents you on screen going, 'Oh my god, look at these things. These things are amazing.' You want a human point of view, because hopefully that's your point of view as you're watching it too. "

The producers of Transformers Prime are well aware how some adult fans feel about human characters. Recalled Orci, "From some quarter of the fandom, the idea that the live-action movies had humans at all was slightly something to consider and I think that one of the other benefits of the animated series is we can come up with exactly the balance that we want. Because you do want a human presence, no matter what you say – even the original had that. You have to have someone to hide from and bringing you into that secret is a great way to do it. But now, we can do it as much as we want." Kline said he felt the humans, "represents you on screen going, 'Oh my god, look at these things. These things are amazing.' You want a human point of view, because hopefully that's your point of view as you're watching it too. "

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This is interesting. But I'm not so sure its working. Humans are a great means that the writers can introduce the Transformers world.The autobots introduce their world to the humans through expositions. But it has the negative of affect of being long and drawn out lectures that can end up boring and forced.

And it also makes it seem that the human characters were only introduced for moving the plot forward. This has the danger of making the characters flat and underdeveloped as the story progresses. I don’t think that would help Prime, considering we’d be seeing these kids day in and day out.

Also the fact that humankind’s representatives to extraterrestrial life forms are kids who haven't obtained the necessary training takes away some of the realism of the story. Of all of mankind’s best, why’d these three end up with the closest relationship with the autobots? Surely the humans of earth could have assigned their own team of the best and brightest and provided with the finest equipment. Of all the years mankind has wanted to contact alien life we suddenly settle on letting untrained individuals be the representative. This also leads me to another question, why are humans letting the autobots have total autonomy.

Also, there is a reason why there are jurisdictions. It is out of respect to the local authority. Foreign governements have to seek approval and help of local governments because it is a sign of respect to the local governments. The same goes for federal authorities to the local authorities. To do so without the knowledge, assistance and consent of the local authority is like questioning the local authorities' competence. It also shows a lack of respect to the authority. So I do have to question why humans in Transformers Prime are letting the autobots run and fight on their own.

And in regards to the cost of human lives, Optimus already was forced to let those kids run into danger, why not just let trained soldiers do the same. And letting the autobots do most if not all the work makes humanity seem weak all in all. Would the human race be okay with saying, we need aliens for another planet to keep us safe and alive. How can humanity gain confidence and competence from such a set up? And what happens if the autobots are no longer on earth, what then happens to humanity? What happens when humanity is ready to venture the stars on its own?

I'd like to think that Arcee and Jack's partnership could be a mutaully beneficial one. They were both intially reluctant to be involved with one another, but now that they are, they're learning to bridge the gap between their worlds. They're learning to recognise and share similar emotions and vulnerabilities in one another. The ironic thing in their friendship is that though Arcee would seem to be in the older mentor position, being more mature and stronger, she has things to gain from interating with Jack: learning more about Earth and human life and crucially helping herself to move on past the loss of a close comrade (Cliffjumper) through her new partnership with Jack. And undoubtedly, Jack's formerly mundane life has just been majorly changed by his meeting the Autobots. Now a much larger world has been opened up to him, and Arcee is his guide to it.

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Good point, I do see what you mean. Arcee will learn more about the earth, its cultures and her maybe moving past the loss of Cliffjumpter.(Though her relationship with Cliffjumper will have to be expanded on for this to have any depth in my opinion). Maybe Jack will help spark an interest for Arcee to learn something about the earth and humans. Though whether the information would be regularly of value to an alien whose job it is to fight against alien robots is still up in the air.

As for Jack, I wonder whether he'd actually prefer his mundane life to his new one. Because I'm not sure either one actually is much better.
And with his need to be guided by the autobots comes its own difficulties. One of which is that it probably takes more time out of his schedule.
If you were a kid at his age, wouldn't your schedule be packed? Homework, school, work, family, health. And there are probably things that he'd prefer to do on his own. Would he really have time to go to the autobot base time in and time out? And unless the autobots are willing to keep using up their energon for the land bridge, I wonder how long his commute to the autobot base takes?

Another thing is that he lacks qualifications. Aside from cleaning up the trash at the base what else can he do for the autobots. At least in his life outside the autobots he can do something.

Also, there is a possibility that Jack loses control over his own life due to his interaction with the autobots. If Optimus Prime isn't there, there is Arcee who have to tell him what to do at times. So what happens to Jack's own personal goals and ambitions? Would they be thrown in the wayside?

Also, I wonder what skills he can pick up from the autobots? Leadership? But we've also got to ask, leadership to what team? He's no leader to the autobts, far from it. He's selfless, I guess. Going after Miko when she put herself in danger. But with his own current abilities, I don’t think he’d inspire much from either Miko or Raff. And Miko is probably out of control. (Thus making Miko’s dialogue with Jack in the garage seem forced)

I doubt, in the current setting at least that the autobots can teach Jack Cybertronian technology and fighting abilities. And I don’t see how it could be useful outside life with the autobots. Cybertronian technology needs Cybertronian components. Cybertronian fighting would probably need Cybertronian body parts. He’d be better of joining the military if he wants to learn to fight. Or maybe focus on going to college if he’s interested in technology.

The way I see it, the autobots have introduced him to a world of alien battles where he’s mostly going to be a bystander in, watching and cheering from afar.